- Spreadsheet with the calculator: cityprepping.tv/3PLJ7YP - Ecoflow Max II: th-cam.com/video/7FFu2WiVIK8/w-d-xo.html - Use Ecoflow coupon code EFDCPREPPING for an extra 8% OFF (except Flash Sale products). Get free accessories for disaster needs until September 27th. - DIY solar generator setup: th-cam.com/video/L4HiYD1i71A/w-d-xo.html - Kilowatt meter: amzn.to/3fhvz5z
Hi, I'm from Israel, and has been following since lockdown. You've helped my family and I prepare for this time of war, and I am very grateful for that! Thank you!
I've struggled to wrap my mind around how to calculate how much wattage I need and you just really simplified it perfectly. Now if you could help me understand HAM radios I'd be set😂
About four years ago we had to run our house with a regular gas powered generator for about 4 days. We alternated running the refrigerator during the day and shutting it off at night and keeping it closed. This saved all of our food. However the refrigerator took up most of the generator's power. If we wanted to run anything else during the day, we had to unplug the refrigerator. It wasn't that bad. Luckily, it was November when this happened. It's is so important to know the power your devices draw. It is critical for being safe.
It might be worth noting that the fridge and freezer, when full hold their temperature for hours and don't require constant energy input. If I remember correctly it's about 20-30mins of power every 4hrs for a full modern freezer. And 1hr every 4hrs for a fridge. Best to have remote probe thermometers in both and monitor .
A little tip I saw on another channel, I forget which one; To help with your refrigeration, use your washing machine as a cooler oddly enough. it is well sealed obviously because you wash clothes in it and there’s no water all over your house normally so… You can put some ice in there and then put your drinks or things that you access a lot on top of it and makes a great cooler with no mess to clean up later because why, It’s a washing machine, it already doesn’t put water all over your house so when you get your power back is going to just drain the tub. Thankfully we have not had to consider using this tip, so not sure how well it would work out. Wouldn’t the tub eventually fill up with no power to drain it? Here’s one from my daughter-in-law that seems SO counterintuitive that I would have NEVER thought 💭 of it, much less tried without having it spelled out for me by someone who had done it : if there’s potential for a flood in your area, you can, get this, go ahead and put your PHOTOS INSIDE of YOUR WASHING MACHINE and close it up…..!!?? This seems like a common sense thought in retrospect, no water can get out until you’re ready for it to, so none can get IN either…like I said, I would have NEVER thought of it. 😬
See so many people make fun of preppers. They miss the point. We don’t Know what could happen. The idea is to take of yourself if something does. I suspect a lot of those people are”every man for themselves “. I wish us all the best!!!!! Thanks Kris!
Thank you Kris, At college doing motor vehicle engineering I’m pretty savvy with electronics, but I feel this video will help a lot of people. Electronics are confusing if you have never really had to deal with them, and the way you have put it across makes it much easier for people to understand, well scripted. Well done 👍🏻
I’ve been trying to talk my wife into buying solar for a long time especially with everything going on in the world. She thinks it’s a huge waste of money. What can I use to help my argument? By the way, this was a great video. I loved it. Keep up the good work.
If the grid is down for even a day she would wish you would have just installed something. We men have a responsibility to provide and protect in all situations we are the thinkers we give our wife’s options. You won’t have options when the grid is down you will have been late I believe in being ready even if nothing happens gives me peace of mind knowing my family will be ok for a while. Be safe and god bless.
I love to practice with my household gadgets using my solar generators. In a grid down situation I know what gadgets are power hungry and which are power frugal.
One of the best videos on TH-cam. You simplified what seemed like a technical mountain by breaking it down to bite size pieces. I replayed a few sections and I learned so much. Thank you. I think I may get the Delta Pro 3.
I'm off to shooting club tonight. I'll go 3 x per week and use a range of tools and freedom seeds. I returned to Ham Club this week. I'm going after Intermediate by spring.
I just got an EcoFlow from a Labor Day sale… 2400w. Total cost with panels and cords (plus tax) was about $1600 and some change. Cheaper than Amazon! 😅
I have six grand in my stuff. Just saying. You got a good 👍 deal. I only have 2000 watts of inverter. Can't really compare the two...I was going to get. 3000 watts one but they were sold out at the time. Yeah it's like having your own power. Kind of good to have these days. Well congrats 👏 on your getting a power source. I don't have a little one, mine is kind of cabin size.
@@davidpotter9462 I ordered an 8000w inverter from TEMU for $430! The box arrived damage, and the inverter itself was dented. It was the first component I purchased so I had no way of testing it to see if it was broken, so I sent it back for a refund and just decided to go with the EcoFlow. I was way over my head trying to build my own unit! 😅
Extremely informative and helpful video, as always. Thank you! My husband and I have been anxiously awaiting your latest release. With all due respect, the music is very distracting. We'd rather be able to focus solely on what you're saying.
Kris, Thanks for another great update! Your explanations are easy for others to understand. And for me to share with others. Your examples are real and your SPREADSHEET is an EXTREMELY VALUABLE tool. I always download the latest and rename it with the current date.
This video is like gold to me! I never knew anything about watts, kilowatts, etc. I always felt like it was to over my head to learn. You broke this down incredibly well, and I understand it! Now when my I talk to my husband about solar I will understand him. Thank you, Kris!!
All those calculators are cool BUT its better to take the time NOW to check for yourself. During a rain storm, I unplugged my sump-pump and plugged it into my solar generator. Now I know what it pull (in real life) and how long I can expect to depend on that generator. Pump pulls around 460-watts but only runs 3-5 seconds every 10 minutes or so. Over the last year, I have casually done this with most things in my house...TV, Radio, Phone Charger, Fridge etc. After all that, I now have a decent idea about what I can afford (in terms of back-up power) to run at any time. No math required, lol.
Back early 2022 a sypertyphoon hit our island and there was no power, network or communications for nearly 3 months. All boats destroyed and no bridges. This would have been such a good thing to know back then because we had 3 tons of fish in the freezer, a groundwater pump and filter, and a dinky 120hp generator. We had to learn the hard way on which freezers/pumps/filters we can power, how long, how much fuel it consumes and how much we gain. Ultimately we lost too much fuel and could no longer reliably maintain freezer temperatures so we had to pickle them in sea salt to preserve them (because we had no idea how smoking works for fish) and because they were salty asf you had to chug a lot of water, thankfully we didn't run out of filters and tablets. It saved our neighborhood until the lines were restored and logistics came back 5-6 months after the storm.
@marymorgan285 its easier when you operate a business in essential goods. I run a retail and we have a large inventory in anticipation for storm, as well as always having a few barrels of diesel and gasoline because of poor fuel logistics on an island, a generator and solar panel lights as well as a water distribution business. The issue was not power or essentials, it was how to distribute it without bankrupting and or get on the bad side of the desperate neighbors who lost everything. There is a strict gun ban on our country, it helps because nobody has a gun, but also bad because they also know you don't have one and they outnumber you 10,000 to one.
Great point! Because of this risk (or vulnerability), everyone should really watch the award-winning documentary, Grid Down Power Up - Documentary, narrated by Dennis Quaid, which is now available free on TH-cam . Additionally, on our website, we provide a mechanism to write emails & make phone calls to your specific legislators, regulators and board members of your public utility to ensure we get action taken to protect our great country. Please help us spread the word.
Thank you and your team. It is so truly awesome to read the topic of a video and it truly be the contents of the video. This community can always count on this.
Thanks for making the spreadsheet, Ive tried many online and they try to sell you something or dont work well. this is by far the best most comprehensive one !
Bad news on solar I’ve been using and working with solar since it came out in the 90s and 2000 it’s definitely improved (I live in West Virginia and Maryland. We only get 50% of the power out of 100 W solar panel that’s due that solar panels are rated at the equator.
@CityPrepping -Your videos are great! Very informative, easy to understand if you’re a beginner and interested in being “prepared.” I am a army veteran, and my father was a Marine corp Vietnam combat veteran- he would always tell me “ITS BETTER TO HAVE IT AND NOT NEED IT, THEN TO NEED IT AND NOT HAVE IT.” And THANK YOU 🙏🏽 for the “spread sheet calculator” - its simple math but collecting all the data in one place is a huge relief. 🇺🇸
I love this video 0:20 Personally I have the ecoflow delta max 2016wh plus 2 extra batteries with the bifacial panel so I can use a reflector on the back to maximize my energy input
I installed a 12.5 KW gas generator that self tests each week, and automatically powers up essential services through transfer switch. Powers my refrigerator and freezer, kitchen outlets, and communications. The generator has propane tanks large enough to maintain power for 5 days. Installing this system during the building of home was a great idea. All home should come with a backup power system.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! You brought up some great points. If you’re interested in this topic, we encourage you to check out our award-winning documentary called Grid Down Power Up - Documentary, narrated by Dennis Quaid. It’s free on TH-cam, and it goes into a lot of detail on these issues. Plus, they’ve got a website where you can take action by contacting legislators and public utilities. Please help us spread the word.
We have had so many warnings in Texas recently about the power going out that people now feel like it’s the norm. I just got a setpower refrigerated cooler today!
Thanks Chris, I live in a northern clime and solar in winter is sketchy but using an ice generator for a few hours a day to power to solar generator is genius
PV panels, wired via MPPT controller, to 12v AGM batteries. You can charge devices off this, run 12v items (lights, fridges, etc), and even run higher voltages via an inverter.
Very helpful now to find kwh for major appliances like frig..have invested on both types of generators blindly..will be watching several times to build spreadsheet for my home❤
I’m visual and liken it in terms of water. Watt-hour = gallons. Watt = gallons per minute. That helps me visualize all of this to help size everything.
I used your last spreadsheet to help me make the decision to purchase our Ecoflow Delta Max. We ran a test on it to try to determine how long it would power our refrigerator. I'm going to use your new calculator to see how close we got. Thanks!
@@mariehall9514 i haven't used the new spreadsheet yet. But the Ecoflow delta max appeared to be able to run the fridge for at least 18hrs with no charge. We did not run it down to zero. We ran to 60% over 10 hours. We then bought a solar panel so we could trickle charge while using. What I really like is that you can charge it from the DC outlet in your car as well as piggyback another battery to it. It is very versatile.
Oct 2024- we have 2 gas generators but with what is happening I think we need to get a solar as a good backup to make it through what is coming. God bless and keep prepping
Hi Kris, some more complicated electronic devices like computers need a generator with a proper sine wave. This might include more sophisticated models of refrigerators if there is computer stuff on board. You will see some generators for sale talking about this sine wave in those models for sale. They tend to be smaller generators around 2 or 3 thousand watts. More crude items like a circular saw will run from any generator.
There is so many valuables when trying to power your home. Let’s say you have a battery backup system. And you have a generator as backup to charge your system is there’s not a lot of sun. Now you need to think how much gas you want on hand. Then you need to condition the gas, so it will last over a year. Then number each Jerry can, so you can write down when you filled it up. Then you need to get a “ zombie box “ ( look it up ) it’s a box that will silences you generator when running. This is something that I’ve been working on for more then 3 years. Ecoflow to me is the best unit for back up. The main reason is that it has fast charging. You don’t need to wait for hours. Especially when you have someone life depending on it.
@CityPrepping …I came in late. Can you please cover Solar Generators that aren’t attached to solar panels? We don’t have the capacity to have panels where we live. Thank you for covering all of this. This is exactly the type of stuff we need. At this point I think we will get hit by a CME and it will take out all of our electric grids.
Look at his channel, he has videos on some. They can all be charged up usually with grid power. Some are more portable, with portable solar panels. Being portable just carry them to a place where you can charge.
@mskulagal I bought a Setpower FC15. It will run off my Bluetti 600. I'll use it for cold things. My plan is to get a dual zone (fridge- freezer) later next month to use for frozen. I'll have to get another Bluetti tho.
Best preparation is having backup systems that require no electricity like candles. At least a 6 month survival stance to buy you time to figure out next steps.
IF you haven't already, convert all of the lights in your house to LED. Biggest bang for the buck for reducing load on your generator. Stock up on spark plugs and oil for your gasoline generator. Look into converting your gasoline generator by adding a natural gas or propane regulator on the carb. I did and it works great. As long as I have my N gas at my home, I won't have to run for gasoline. My stored gasoline will be for emergency use in my car/bike/genset.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! You brought up some great points. If you’re interested in this topic, we encourage you to check out our award-winning documentary called Grid Down Power Up - Documentary, narrated by Dennis Quaid. It’s free on TH-cam, and it goes into a lot of detail on these issues. Plus, they’ve got a website where you can take action by contacting legislators and public utilities. Please help us spread the word.
The best way to test your system and see what you need is to flip the main breaker in your house off and do it for real. Once or twice a year, we should all do that for a couple days. That’s the only real way to work out the kinks.
What are your thoughts on being able to use a Toyota Prius to power your home in lieu of a gas or solar generator? Have you done a video on this in the past? I'm considering doing this where I live. thanks.
i get organic meat..they have sent some dry ice on occassion..so i put one package in the frige freezer and in my mini 5.0 cubic chest freezer.. not sure but i think this would help ..least hope so as i have bottom of frezzer lined with water bottles to to keep cold, just in case. i have a jackery just for the chest freezer.
I have a gas generator and 20 gal of gas stored (away from the house). Will just use it a few hours a week to keep food frozen and recharge battery bavkups.
We have lasted weeks just running our generator on a schedule: 2 hours in the morning (runs the well, cook breakfast, showers, cools the freezer & fridge, etc.), 2-3 hours at noon (a load of laundry, cook lunch, fridge&freezer), 4 hours at night (dinner, well, laundry/dishes, fridge&freezer.) Fridge and Freezer keep cold enough overnight. This was all before solar and battery backups were available. We burned less than 10 gallons of gas this way per week. With Battery backup for the fridge & freezer, I think we would burn even less gas. Everyone else in our area runs their generators 24/7 during outages. No wonder the stations always run out.
@@JustaFanBoy My god' what kind of animals do you think we are? No mention of tick tok usage? lol lol lol I have a separate genny just for phones / tv and cpu use only. Great schedule!
Those who have a generator. Go online and research your generator model, what kit you need to allow the generator to use NATURAL GAS. in the event that the power goes down, natural gas will STILL FLOW. for the most part, at most places, till someone physically destroys the supply line. The lines are installed in such a way that if the natural gas source loses power, it will probably will happen during extreme weather (i.e. cold winter snow storm), which means the customers desperately NEED that gas. Most natural gas will continue to flow like water under its own pressure.
Interesting information on calculating power usage and linking it to backup power. What would be really interesting for those of us in wetter parts of the world (especially where there is less sun) would be discussing power generation options than solar or ice generators, there are both wind and hydroelectric options which come with their own benefits and challenges but are often not spoken about. It would be an interesting area to look at for baseload generation which is sustainable, especially in high latitudes.
Someday, I want my house to have the roof top solar panels and the battery power banks it would need for us to be independent of the local power grid, but we are not there yet. For our household, refrigeration is a convenience and not a necessity. No one in my household needs refrigeration for storing prescription medication or electric power for a medical device. We have plenty of dry, long-term food storage and water storage and we could just use one of our grid-down cooking methods to prepare enough food at each meal to not have any leftovers that need refrigeration when outdoor temperatures are warm. During the winter, the outdoors would be our refrigerator. What would be a problem, if the local power grid failed, would be lack of air conditioning during summer months here in southern Nevada. We could use our motorhome's onboard generator at night to run the little AC unit, bring the RV's temperature down 20 degrees lower than the outside temperature and get some sleep. We could do this for two nights, but if the local power grid was still down by the third day, we would have to evacuate to a cooler climate or to an area that has shore power for our RV. We have solar panels on the motorhome as well as a little Jackery power bank with its own solar panel, so recharging our communication devices would not be a problem even if we were boondocking for a couple of weeks in the desert during the winter. And our Jackery set-up is now protected against EMP pulses. And we could also just use a charging cord to recharge our smart phones when traveling in one of our vehicles or the RV. We even have a little a slow cooker that can plug into a vehicle's auxiliary port and cook a meal while we are traveling all day. Or we could plug in our travel cooler and have plenty of cool beverages in our truck or Jeep when traveling. Or activate the motorhome's refrigerator/freezer that has three power options and use the motorhome's diesel engine to power the refrigerator while we are under way. And we could use the motorhome's propane cooktop or onboard microwave to prepare meals when we are camping. We have a couple of grid-down ways to do laundry if we run out of clean underwear. We have solar powered camp lights to use inside our house as well as battery powered and regular rechargeable ones. Our motorhome has an on-demand water heater, so we could have brief hot showers there for as long as we have water in the freshwater tank. Or we could use a grid-down cooking method to heat enough water for a sponge bath inside our house. We have grid-down ways to listen to the NOAA radio channels, AM/FM stations and shortwave stations and play music CDs and watch movie DVDs. So, keeping informed and electronically entertained would not be a problem. The lack of AC during a summertime power outage would be our household's largest challenge.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! You brought up some great points. If you’re interested in this topic, we encourage you to check out our award-winning documentary called Grid Down Power Up - Documentary, narrated by Dennis Quaid. It’s free on TH-cam, and it goes into a lot of detail on these issues. Plus, they’ve got a website where you can take action by contacting legislators and public utilities. Please help us spread the word.
I wasnt able to swing the cost of a nice solar generator so i took it upon myself to build my own. Its acually on wheels on a treated wood frame that is about the size of a small lawn utility trailer. It has 100watts of solar input but easily expandable. Its coupled with a 10 amp charge controller and a 2500 watt inverter that can peak at 3200 watts. The power is stored with 2 85 aH batteries as well as a 100aH battery. I cant run my whole home with this but it will run my well pump as well as my washer and fridge(not all at the same time) i heat with wood with a propane backup and i have a small woodstove that can be installed within a matter of 2 hours. That being said i have a backup gen set as well as a 2800 watt generator mounted in my rv that runs off the main fuel tank of the van.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! You brought up some great points. If you’re interested in this topic, we encourage you to check out our award-winning documentary called Grid Down Power Up - Documentary, narrated by Dennis Quaid. It’s free on TH-cam, and it goes into a lot of detail on these issues. Plus, they’ve got a website where you can take action by contacting legislators and public utilities. Please help us spread the word.
If by any chance you can let me know what the best aftermarket. Solar panels maybe eBay or some thing that would go with the blue Eddie let me know. I already got one. They claimed it was 400 W. It wasn’t barely does 19.
![[#2024MAMA] ROSÉ (로제), Bruno Mars - APT. | Mnet 241122 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dgGqD28J6aQ/mqdefault.jpg)
- Spreadsheet with the calculator: cityprepping.tv/3PLJ7YP
- Ecoflow Max II: th-cam.com/video/7FFu2WiVIK8/w-d-xo.html
- Use Ecoflow coupon code EFDCPREPPING for an extra 8% OFF (except Flash Sale products). Get free accessories for disaster needs until September 27th.
- DIY solar generator setup: th-cam.com/video/L4HiYD1i71A/w-d-xo.html
- Kilowatt meter: amzn.to/3fhvz5z
Thanks for the great info brother, as always ❤✌️✝️
Make a Spotify
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Hi, I'm from Israel, and has been following since lockdown.
You've helped my family and I prepare for this time of war, and I am very grateful for that!
Thank you!
I've struggled to wrap my mind around how to calculate how much wattage I need and you just really simplified it perfectly. Now if you could help me understand HAM radios I'd be set😂
About four years ago we had to run our house with a regular gas powered generator for about 4 days. We alternated running the refrigerator during the day and shutting it off at night and keeping it closed. This saved all of our food. However the refrigerator took up most of the generator's power. If we wanted to run anything else during the day, we had to unplug the refrigerator. It wasn't that bad. Luckily, it was November when this happened. It's is so important to know the power your devices draw. It is critical for being safe.
It might be worth noting that the fridge and freezer, when full hold their temperature for hours and don't require constant energy input. If I remember correctly it's about 20-30mins of power every 4hrs for a full modern freezer. And 1hr every 4hrs for a fridge. Best to have remote probe thermometers in both and monitor .
Should Def use the water cup and quarter trick in such a scenario
@@exotimefridge isn't full like freezer having frozen water in fridge helps too.
@@nickabel8279what is the water cup and quarter trick?
A little tip I saw on another channel, I forget which one;
To help with your refrigeration, use your washing machine as a cooler oddly enough. it is well sealed obviously because you wash clothes in it and there’s no water all over your house normally so… You can put some ice in there and then put your drinks or things that you access a lot on top of it and makes a great cooler with no mess to clean up later because why, It’s a washing machine, it already doesn’t put water all over your house so when you get your power back is going to just drain the tub.
Thankfully we have not had to consider using this tip, so not sure how well it would work out. Wouldn’t the tub eventually fill up with no power to drain it?
Here’s one from my daughter-in-law that seems SO counterintuitive that I would have NEVER thought 💭 of it, much less tried without having it spelled out for me by someone who had done it : if there’s potential for a flood in your area, you can, get this, go ahead and put your PHOTOS INSIDE of YOUR WASHING MACHINE and close it up…..!!??
This seems like a common sense thought in retrospect, no water can get out until you’re ready for it to, so none can get IN either…like I said, I would have NEVER thought of it. 😬
See so many people make fun of preppers. They miss the point. We don’t Know what could happen. The idea is to take of yourself if something does. I suspect a lot of those people are”every man for themselves “. I wish us all the best!!!!! Thanks Kris!
I buy outdoor solar lights on sale at our hardware stores. They charge through the day and I use them inside our home at night when hydro goes out.
Excellent!!!!!!
Thank you. I may need to watch it again with paper and pencil but I got the gist. You are a great help.
I have never wanted a generator because it has seemed too complicated. Now, I actually understand. Thank you.
These are the videos that have real value and what everyone needs more of. Thanks
This video just disproved my dad complaining about leaving the lights on. Next time I’ll give him a penny. 😊
I was thinking the same! 🤣
Oh man! I'm the Mom that complained about leaving the lights on. Lol Don't let my kids watch this video.
Thank you Kris,
At college doing motor vehicle engineering I’m pretty savvy with electronics, but I feel this video will help a lot of people. Electronics are confusing if you have never really had to deal with them, and the way you have put it across makes it much easier for people to understand, well scripted. Well done 👍🏻
Thank you so much for breaking this down so well. You put a lot of work into the spread sheets. Many thanks and God bless.
I’ve been trying to talk my wife into buying solar for a long time especially with everything going on in the world. She thinks it’s a huge waste of money. What can I use to help my argument? By the way, this was a great video. I loved it. Keep up the good work.
I’m trying to convince my husband, he thinks I’m over the top. I’m learning but struggling with the technical.
If the grid is down for even a day she would wish you would have just installed something. We men have a responsibility to provide and protect in all situations we are the thinkers we give our wife’s options. You won’t have options when the grid is down you will have been late I believe in being ready even if nothing happens gives me peace of mind knowing my family will be ok for a while. Be safe and god bless.
I love to practice with my household gadgets using my solar generators. In a grid down situation I know what gadgets are power hungry and which are power frugal.
Recently put in solar and a backup. It’s been fantastic!
Here’s the video you didn’t know you actually needed. Well done Kris!
One of the best videos on TH-cam. You simplified what seemed like a technical mountain by breaking it down to bite size pieces. I replayed a few sections and I learned so much. Thank you. I think I may get the Delta Pro 3.
You are good at explaining things for people that don't know these things. Good job.
I'm off to shooting club tonight. I'll go 3 x per week and use a range of tools and freedom seeds. I returned to Ham Club this week. I'm going after Intermediate by spring.
GOOD for you! To borrow a quote from Bruce Cockburn, "I ride and I shoot and I play guitar!" I'm also a HAM.
73 de VE3GUN
Thank you, I was shopping for a generator for my parents the information and the spread sheet make it so much clearer. Great job
I just got an EcoFlow from a Labor Day sale… 2400w. Total cost with panels and cords (plus tax) was about $1600 and some change. Cheaper than Amazon! 😅
You are wise, never pay full retail!
I have six grand in my stuff. Just saying. You got a good 👍 deal. I only have 2000 watts of inverter. Can't really compare the two...I was going to get. 3000 watts one but they were sold out at the time. Yeah it's like having your own power. Kind of good to have these days. Well congrats 👏 on your getting a power source. I don't have a little one, mine is kind of cabin size.
@@davidpotter9462 I ordered an 8000w inverter from TEMU for $430! The box arrived damage, and the inverter itself was dented. It was the first component I purchased so I had no way of testing it to see if it was broken, so I sent it back for a refund and just decided to go with the EcoFlow. I was way over my head trying to build my own unit! 😅
Just want you to know I appreciate your channel, it is a stark reminder to keep calm and learn with purpose
watching "green acres" 📺 was educational way back.
This is what I was hoping for-a slower explanation of solar. Perfect! Thanks.
Extremely informative and helpful video, as always. Thank you! My husband and I have been anxiously awaiting your latest release.
With all due respect, the music is very distracting. We'd rather be able to focus solely on what you're saying.
I don't hear any music????
One of the best overviews of power sources, thank you!
Kris,
Thanks for another great update! Your explanations are easy for others to understand. And for me to share with others. Your examples are real and your SPREADSHEET is an EXTREMELY VALUABLE tool. I always download the latest and rename it with the current date.
This video is like gold to me! I never knew anything about watts, kilowatts, etc. I always felt like it was to over my head to learn. You broke this down incredibly well, and I understand it! Now when my I talk to my husband about solar I will understand him. Thank you, Kris!!
All those calculators are cool BUT its better to take the time NOW to check for yourself. During a rain storm, I unplugged my sump-pump and plugged it into my solar generator. Now I know what it pull (in real life) and how long I can expect to depend on that generator. Pump pulls around 460-watts but only runs 3-5 seconds every 10 minutes or so.
Over the last year, I have casually done this with most things in my house...TV, Radio, Phone Charger, Fridge etc. After all that, I now have a decent idea about what I can afford (in terms of back-up power) to run at any time. No math required, lol.
Back early 2022 a sypertyphoon hit our island and there was no power, network or communications for nearly 3 months. All boats destroyed and no bridges.
This would have been such a good thing to know back then because we had 3 tons of fish in the freezer, a groundwater pump and filter, and a dinky 120hp generator.
We had to learn the hard way on which freezers/pumps/filters we can power, how long, how much fuel it consumes and how much we gain.
Ultimately we lost too much fuel and could no longer reliably maintain freezer temperatures so we had to pickle them in sea salt to preserve them (because we had no idea how smoking works for fish) and because they were salty asf you had to chug a lot of water, thankfully we didn't run out of filters and tablets. It saved our neighborhood until the lines were restored and logistics came back 5-6 months after the storm.
Wow! That’s a long time with no power. If anybody could tell a story about survival of this, you certainly could! May your future be better!!!!
@marymorgan285 its easier when you operate a business in essential goods. I run a retail and we have a large inventory in anticipation for storm, as well as always having a few barrels of diesel and gasoline because of poor fuel logistics on an island, a generator and solar panel lights as well as a water distribution business.
The issue was not power or essentials, it was how to distribute it without bankrupting and or get on the bad side of the desperate neighbors who lost everything. There is a strict gun ban on our country, it helps because nobody has a gun, but also bad because they also know you don't have one and they outnumber you 10,000 to one.
Great point! Because of this risk (or vulnerability), everyone should really watch the award-winning documentary, Grid Down Power Up - Documentary, narrated by Dennis Quaid, which is now available free on TH-cam . Additionally, on our website, we provide a mechanism to write emails & make phone calls to your specific legislators, regulators and board members of your public utility to ensure we get action taken to protect our great country. Please help us spread the word.
Thank you and your team. It is so truly awesome to read the topic of a video and it truly be the contents of the video. This community can always count on this.
Thanks for making the spreadsheet, Ive tried many online and they try to sell you something or dont work well. this is by far the best most comprehensive one !
Love the fact that you go through explaining the hows you & how to use each item. You stay safe
Bad news on solar I’ve been using and working with solar since it came out in the 90s and 2000 it’s definitely improved (I live in West Virginia and Maryland. We only get 50% of the power out of 100 W solar panel that’s due that solar panels are rated at the equator.
Chris, thank you so much for the spreadsheet calculator!! God bless you all!
Good to catch a premier from you once in a while, Kris! Good content, as always! Stay well!
@CityPrepping -Your videos are great! Very informative, easy to understand if you’re a beginner and interested in being “prepared.” I am a army veteran, and my father was a Marine corp Vietnam combat veteran- he would always tell me “ITS BETTER TO HAVE IT AND NOT NEED IT, THEN TO NEED IT AND NOT HAVE IT.” And THANK YOU 🙏🏽 for the “spread sheet calculator” - its simple math but collecting all the data in one place is a huge relief. 🇺🇸
I love this video 0:20
Personally I have the ecoflow delta max 2016wh plus 2 extra batteries with the bifacial panel so I can use a reflector on the back to maximize my energy input
I installed a 12.5 KW gas generator that self tests each week, and automatically powers up essential services through transfer switch. Powers my refrigerator and freezer, kitchen outlets, and communications. The generator has propane tanks large enough to maintain power for 5 days. Installing this system during the building of home was a great idea. All home should come with a backup power system.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! You brought up some great points. If you’re interested in this topic, we encourage you to check out our award-winning documentary called Grid Down Power Up - Documentary, narrated by Dennis Quaid. It’s free on TH-cam, and it goes into a lot of detail on these issues. Plus, they’ve got a website where you can take action by contacting legislators and public utilities. Please help us spread the word.
We have had so many warnings in Texas recently about the power going out that people now feel like it’s the norm. I just got a setpower refrigerated cooler today!
Thanks Chris, I live in a northern clime and solar in winter is sketchy but using an ice generator for a few hours a day to power to solar generator is genius
PV panels, wired via MPPT controller, to 12v AGM batteries. You can charge devices off this, run 12v items (lights, fridges, etc), and even run higher voltages via an inverter.
Very helpful now to find kwh for major appliances like frig..have invested on both types of generators blindly..will be watching several times to build spreadsheet for my home❤
I’m visual and liken it in terms of water.
Watt-hour = gallons.
Watt = gallons per minute.
That helps me visualize all of this to help size everything.
I saved, liked, and commented. This is exactly what I have been looking for. Thank you 😊
The most reliable renewable power source is a waterwheel attached to several dynamos (your typical bicycle dynamo produces 3w...so work from there).
And if no water source someone who has stamina to pedal for a very long time to charge up batteries.
Awesome video made for even a rookie to understand
This was a very well thought out video. But it’s still over my head.😵💫
Thank you for the informative video. I would add purchase a Kill A Watt meter that retains the data after disconnecting from the AC.
I used your last spreadsheet to help me make the decision to purchase our Ecoflow Delta Max. We ran a test on it to try to determine how long it would power our refrigerator. I'm going to use your new calculator to see how close we got. Thanks!
What we’re your results? We’re looking at Ecoflows
@@mariehall9514 i haven't used the new spreadsheet yet. But the Ecoflow delta max appeared to be able to run the fridge for at least 18hrs with no charge. We did not run it down to zero. We ran to 60% over 10 hours. We then bought a solar panel so we could trickle charge while using. What I really like is that you can charge it from the DC outlet in your car as well as piggyback another battery to it. It is very versatile.
Sir (Chris), Wow, you put a lot of work into this spreadsheet and video. Thank you so much it answered a lot of questions.
This video (and all others) was sooo helpful. Just what I needed. Thank you!
Oct 2024- we have 2 gas generators but with what is happening I think we need to get a solar as a good backup to make it through what is coming. God bless and keep prepping
Hi Kris, some more complicated electronic devices like computers need a generator with a proper sine wave. This might include more sophisticated models of refrigerators if there is computer stuff on board. You will see some generators for sale talking about this sine wave in those models for sale. They tend to be smaller generators around 2 or 3 thousand watts. More crude items like a circular saw will run from any generator.
Thank you Chris. This helped me with the math I need to figure out my system
LOVED this video! I shared it with so many people. Thank you!
There is so many valuables when trying to power your home. Let’s say you have a battery backup system. And you have a generator as backup to charge your system is there’s not a lot of sun. Now you need to think how much gas you want on hand. Then you need to condition the gas, so it will last over a year. Then number each Jerry can, so you can write down when you filled it up. Then you need to get a “ zombie box “ ( look it up ) it’s a box that will silences you generator when running.
This is something that I’ve been working on for more then 3 years. Ecoflow to me is the best unit for back up. The main reason is that it has fast charging. You don’t need to wait for hours. Especially when you have someone life depending on it.
Excellent information very concise easy to follow
Well-done, Chris. This will be my new tutorial to give to solar/battery newbies.
@CityPrepping …I came in late. Can you please cover Solar Generators that aren’t attached to solar panels? We don’t have the capacity to have panels where we live. Thank you for covering all of this. This is exactly the type of stuff we need. At this point I think we will get hit by a CME and it will take out all of our electric grids.
Look at his channel, he has videos on some. They can all be charged up usually with grid power. Some are more portable, with portable solar panels. Being portable just carry them to a place where you can charge.
You and your team are wonderful!! Thank you!
Thank you 🙏 for breaking this down, this was the information I needed when choosing the relevant products..... very much appreciated ☺️
Great job. Now if i could only find a way to determine kwh of 240v well pump....
I went ahead and bought a 12V mini fridge. Next month, another one to use as a freezer unit.
Would you mind sharing what brand you bought? Would like to have these units on hand. Thank you!
@mskulagal I bought a Setpower FC15. It will run off my Bluetti 600. I'll use it for cold things. My plan is to get a dual zone (fridge- freezer) later next month to use for frozen. I'll have to get another Bluetti tho.
This was freaking awesome!!! Thank you!!
Best preparation is having backup systems that require no electricity like candles. At least a 6 month survival stance to buy you time to figure out next steps.
All I care about is heat (I hate being cold) which is why I got a wood stove. Still... useful.
Thank you for your time and efforts in sharing this information. It is appreciated 👍 🇦🇺
You gotta stay interested here to suck up the information...... but the info is there, good job @city prepping!
IF you haven't already, convert all of the lights in your house to LED. Biggest bang for the buck for reducing load on your generator. Stock up on spark plugs and oil for your gasoline generator. Look into converting your gasoline generator by adding a natural gas or propane regulator on the carb. I did and it works great. As long as I have my N gas at my home, I won't have to run for gasoline. My stored gasoline will be for emergency use in my car/bike/genset.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! You brought up some great points. If you’re interested in this topic, we encourage you to check out our award-winning documentary called Grid Down Power Up - Documentary, narrated by Dennis Quaid. It’s free on TH-cam, and it goes into a lot of detail on these issues. Plus, they’ve got a website where you can take action by contacting legislators and public utilities. Please help us spread the word.
Energy should be used as currency. It'll definitely make an impact.
Harbor freight also sells the kill a watt p3
Really helpful video, keep up the great work, thank you
👌Good Job On Solar Solutions👌
"Watts" your backup plan if the power goes out? Another exceptional info session... thanks for sharing!
I followed and have a greater understanding now.
Thank you Kris.
One of your best videos Shalomie Homie, thank you. 😊
Thanks for the information on solar power generators.
Thank You ! I just downloaded and saved this so important Solar spreadsheet. Also will purchase killawattP3 or similar.
I'm not prepping with refrigerated food. I can go off grid tomorrow for cooking, heat and light and boiling water.
I have found it quite impossible, to prepare without refrigeration.
@@chivosadventures8171it’s hard for sure
The best way to test your system and see what you need is to flip the main breaker in your house off and do it for real. Once or twice a year, we should all do that for a couple days. That’s the only real way to work out the kinks.
The bluetti ac500 can also change how much ac input it can take from 1 to 50A
Thank you Kris another awesome video of great help to us..We appreciate you and your team great work.
Large Solar Gen sets are very expensive. I have a small 1K Jackery with two panels. I also have a gen set rated at 6500 watts for now.
What are your thoughts on being able to use a Toyota Prius to power your home in lieu of a gas or solar generator? Have you done a video on this in the past? I'm considering doing this where I live. thanks.
i get organic meat..they have sent some dry ice on occassion..so i put one package in the frige freezer and in my mini 5.0 cubic chest freezer..
not sure but i think this would help ..least hope so as i have bottom of frezzer lined with water bottles to to keep cold, just in case.
i have a jackery just for the chest freezer.
I have a gas generator and 20 gal of gas stored (away from the house). Will just use it a few hours a week to keep food frozen and recharge battery bavkups.
Get a solar generator for nighttime and run your gas during the day. If not your gas gunny will dissappear when your asleep!
We have lasted weeks just running our generator on a schedule: 2 hours in the morning (runs the well, cook breakfast, showers, cools the freezer & fridge, etc.), 2-3 hours at noon (a load of laundry, cook lunch, fridge&freezer), 4 hours at night (dinner, well, laundry/dishes, fridge&freezer.) Fridge and Freezer keep cold enough overnight. This was all before solar and battery backups were available. We burned less than 10 gallons of gas this way per week. With Battery backup for the fridge & freezer, I think we would burn even less gas. Everyone else in our area runs their generators 24/7 during outages. No wonder the stations always run out.
@@JustaFanBoy My god' what kind of animals do you think we are? No mention of tick tok usage? lol lol lol I have a separate genny just for phones / tv and cpu use only. Great schedule!
Those who have a generator. Go online and research your generator model, what kit you need to allow the generator to use NATURAL GAS. in the event that the power goes down, natural gas will STILL FLOW. for the most part, at most places, till someone physically destroys the supply line. The lines are installed in such a way that if the natural gas source loses power, it will probably will happen during extreme weather (i.e. cold winter snow storm), which means the customers desperately NEED that gas. Most natural gas will continue to flow like water under its own pressure.
Great video and effort to educate !
Excellent video, Kris. Thanks for your hard work. 👍
Interesting information on calculating power usage and linking it to backup power. What would be really interesting for those of us in wetter parts of the world (especially where there is less sun) would be discussing power generation options than solar or ice generators, there are both wind and hydroelectric options which come with their own benefits and challenges but are often not spoken about. It would be an interesting area to look at for baseload generation which is sustainable, especially in high latitudes.
Love this video! I'm almost okay with going such a long stretch without one now. 😁Seriously though, great info!
Do you have a video class on how to use " THE WATT METER " .. THE KILO WATT METER .. Thank You 🙂
Love the worksheet Kris!
Someday, I want my house to have the roof top solar panels and the battery power banks it would need for us to be independent of the local power grid, but we are not there yet. For our household, refrigeration is a convenience and not a necessity. No one in my household needs refrigeration for storing prescription medication or electric power for a medical device. We have plenty of dry, long-term food storage and water storage and we could just use one of our grid-down cooking methods to prepare enough food at each meal to not have any leftovers that need refrigeration when outdoor temperatures are warm. During the winter, the outdoors would be our refrigerator.
What would be a problem, if the local power grid failed, would be lack of air conditioning during summer months here in southern Nevada. We could use our motorhome's onboard generator at night to run the little AC unit, bring the RV's temperature down 20 degrees lower than the outside temperature and get some sleep. We could do this for two nights, but if the local power grid was still down by the third day, we would have to evacuate to a cooler climate or to an area that has shore power for our RV.
We have solar panels on the motorhome as well as a little Jackery power bank with its own solar panel, so recharging our communication devices would not be a problem even if we were boondocking for a couple of weeks in the desert during the winter. And our Jackery set-up is now protected against EMP pulses. And we could also just use a charging cord to recharge our smart phones when traveling in one of our vehicles or the RV. We even have a little a slow cooker that can plug into a vehicle's auxiliary port and cook a meal while we are traveling all day. Or we could plug in our travel cooler and have plenty of cool beverages in our truck or Jeep when traveling. Or activate the motorhome's refrigerator/freezer that has three power options and use the motorhome's diesel engine to power the refrigerator while we are under way. And we could use the motorhome's propane cooktop or onboard microwave to prepare meals when we are camping.
We have a couple of grid-down ways to do laundry if we run out of clean underwear. We have solar powered camp lights to use inside our house as well as battery powered and regular rechargeable ones. Our motorhome has an on-demand water heater, so we could have brief hot showers there for as long as we have water in the freshwater tank. Or we could use a grid-down cooking method to heat enough water for a sponge bath inside our house. We have grid-down ways to listen to the NOAA radio channels, AM/FM stations and shortwave stations and play music CDs and watch movie DVDs. So, keeping informed and electronically entertained would not be a problem. The lack of AC during a summertime power outage would be our household's largest challenge.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! You brought up some great points. If you’re interested in this topic, we encourage you to check out our award-winning documentary called Grid Down Power Up - Documentary, narrated by Dennis Quaid. It’s free on TH-cam, and it goes into a lot of detail on these issues. Plus, they’ve got a website where you can take action by contacting legislators and public utilities. Please help us spread the word.
Thank you for all you do
I wasnt able to swing the cost of a nice solar generator so i took it upon myself to build my own. Its acually on wheels on a treated wood frame that is about the size of a small lawn utility trailer. It has 100watts of solar input but easily expandable. Its coupled with a 10 amp charge controller and a 2500 watt inverter that can peak at 3200 watts. The power is stored with 2 85 aH batteries as well as a 100aH battery. I cant run my whole home with this but it will run my well pump as well as my washer and fridge(not all at the same time) i heat with wood with a propane backup and i have a small woodstove that can be installed within a matter of 2 hours. That being said i have a backup gen set as well as a 2800 watt generator mounted in my rv that runs off the main fuel tank of the van.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! You brought up some great points. If you’re interested in this topic, we encourage you to check out our award-winning documentary called Grid Down Power Up - Documentary, narrated by Dennis Quaid. It’s free on TH-cam, and it goes into a lot of detail on these issues. Plus, they’ve got a website where you can take action by contacting legislators and public utilities. Please help us spread the word.
What an easy to understand, informative video. Thank you!
If by any chance you can let me know what the best aftermarket. Solar panels maybe eBay or some thing that would go with the blue Eddie let me know. I already got one. They claimed it was 400 W. It wasn’t barely does 19.
This was very helpful! Thank you! I have a much better idea of how to look at consumption and use. I really appreciate it!